Russia- China Ties( Image courtesy-Xinhua News Agency) China, Japan, India and Russia are competing for power in Asia, boosting their military to defend their interests in the region, while China is also attempting to drive the United States out of the western Pacific to secure its territorial claims, according to Philip Stephens, political columnist for the Financial Times. New partnerships within this dynamic could occur as India swears in its new prime minister, Narendra Modi. According to Stephens, Modi has higher ambitions than his predecessors — to strengthen the nation's power to match China rather than just improve India's economic growth and living standards. Meanwhile, the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, who also wants his country to be able to withstand China's rise, hopes Modi will choose to visit Japan when he embarks on his first overseas trip as India's new leader. Japan could provide much-needed technology and investment to spur the Indian